Tribute to Patches

This is for Patches who passed just shortly before his 16^th birthday

My Patches

1998- 2014

Now I know why they call it Animal Husbandry

It was a platonic marriage, an inter-species relationship

The best one ever, with anyone

He was a gentle Pisces, born March 3^rd

Wise and Compassionate

Like no other being I have ever met

I sat in front of him on my pillow

As if he was a Buddhist deity

And I did feel enlightened by his presence

But only during the hours each week, each day, 
for the four years that I spent with him.

He put his head on my heart

The moment I bent low 
to sit on the ground with him

His love poured into my broken pieces

As I sat in front of a God in the form of a Goat.

He shaped my world, gave me purpose,

A reason to be and a place to go

And when I left the petting zoo for ten minutes to get more water in the sweltering heat

He was so eager to see me come back,

Swaying and extending his head to tell me to come and sit in front of him again.

Whatever I missed from the human world, he gave to me

Whatever love I lacked from my own species, I found in him.

He was my savior

I could not wait to see him

To place my pillow in front of him

to sit with my own personal goat guru.

I knew why I had existed,

why I was drawn 
to move to that town

And my life was made whole

because a Goat Graced it.

He is gone from this world now

It has a strange air without him

I would have visited him
till I died.

My celibate goat monk

Pure in his love.

When I spoke to visitors too long

He pulled my shirt with his mouth to tell me

To only pay attention to him.

And I did.

He is the goat in my center

Looking out through my eyes

My pupils turn horizontal

As I remain forever part of the herd. 

WELCOME TO LARA DE ANN MAMA GOAT BLOG

I have two goats that I take care of, or rather they take care of me.  Rocky is about 5 years old and Sunshine is about 10 months old.  Time certainly flies and you can certainly see that when you notice how fast a kid goat grows. He still loves to be picked up, but now I am going to have to do weight training in order to continue to lift him.  He gets so excited to get a higher view.

Rocky and Sunshine are both wethers, castrated male goats.  This blog post reflects my direct experience with these goats and what I have learned to do and not to do.  There is always more to learning.  These pages are based on my opinions and experience.  You will notice that there is so much information on the web regarding goats and so much contradiction.  I will tell you what I have learned so that you can benefit, but be prepared to see very opposite views on other blogs.

Since I am a strict vegan for animals sake, this blog is not about how to get anything out of a goat.  I am also not one to offer any medical advice.  This is simply my way of sharing the wonders of the goat world and what I have discovered that might help others along the way.

Meet my goats:  Rocky and Sunshine  (they took Rocky's horns off at an early age. I will talk about that on another blog post.)

Rocky and Sunshine came to my life at different times, but both of them needed a mom, so I became Mama Goat.   Rocky's mom got out of their enclosure and was chased by dogs, had a heart attack and died.  Sunshine was rejected by his mom and the herd.  Though Rocky bullies Sunshine often and they compete for dominance, they also play, love each other and give one another great companionship.  Since they are herd animals, they love to be with each other.
However, if you don't have a second goat for company, many other animals work well for companionship.  If you have enough time, you can keep a goat around you full time and then you become the other herd mate.  If you do not

     have that kind of time to devote to a goat as a            herd member, then the right companion is                  crucial.  I've met someone recently whose goat is      paired up with a spirited goose.  I've heard of            ones with small dogs (who were used to being          with the goat from a young age).  I've seen them        with sheep, llamas, pigs etc.  My preference is to      have them with animals that you know for sure          are kind and won't turn on the goat.  Someone            wanted to put their goats with their pit bull.  They      nearly lost the goats to the dog that was out for          blood.   Be very careful, many dog lovers will            assure you that their dog is the most loving,              gentle creature on the face of this earth.                      However, in the presence of a goat who is a prey      animal, a dog, who is a predator, may act                  totally different than how they do with humans.        Some dog breeds that are normally docile, will          turn on anyone without notice. An innocent golden retriever mauled a human baby and created terrible trauma for years.  Bottom line, either you change your life and center it around the goat becoming its main companion, or find an animal, or preferably another compatible goat, that befriends your goat lovingly.  Remember, these are herd animals so, the more time you spend with them, the more you become part of the herd